Adam &amp; Ease Mammography Device

ABSTRACT

Two styles of The Adam &amp; Ease Mammography Device are intended, brassiere style (typically for females) and breastplate style (typically for males). The Device should be manufactured to include highly variable cup or mold sizes that will conform to the torso snugly without tightness and use Sensors and Mesh Lines to “read” through breast tissue. Secondary Torso Connectors enhance sizing variability when needed. The Device will have a Vacuum Ability, which allows the Conforming Mesh to be customized to individuals. The Device will create a more comfortable screening for breast tissue anomalies than current methods. The Device may be manufactured to be recyclable; each part should be soft. The Device may be ground for electricity via Grounding Points at its right or left Horn. The USB port on The Device may be used to connect it, if not using wireless communications, from its Rim to a computer.

BACKGROUND

Cancer affects thousands of persons worldwide per year and breast cancer is a type of cancer that is often not routinely checked for until it is in its late stages, because of the painful and embarrassing processes used to detect it. One of the current processes that comes to mind involve intense pressing of a patient's breasts in between two panels, another involves repeated pressure being placed upon a patient's breasts with a hand held machine. The Adam & Ease Mammography Device with employ a markedly more comfortable method than either of the two prior described ones. I thought of The Adam & Ease Mammography Device in the hopes that people would respond positively to it and that it would encourage them be examined sooner and to try something dynamic, that would empower them and perhaps make them feel less like they were physically at the mercy of a machine. This product also recognizes that breast cancer can occur in both the female and male sexes, no matter their age, background or body size.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this product is to make mammography more comfortable and less of a humiliating experience, which may cause persons to get more timely and more frequent examinations and possibly prevent death. This product was also created to be highly customizable and comfortable to the individual using it.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The Adam & Ease Mammography Device is meant to fill the need for comfort and flexibility to patients using it, whether female or male, whether individuals with gynecomastia (males with abnormally larger breasts) to females with mammary hypoplasia, (abnormally smaller breasts). The Device makes an attempt to fit individuals on every part of the spectrum, including persons with macromastia (abnormally larger breasts). Current machines in use in examination settings around the world cause, or can cause, discomfort and pain to the user, not to mention embarrassment, because pressure of some kind is needed to be applied to an individual's breasts for current machines to “take a reading”. The Adam & Ease Mammography Device may all but eliminate the radiation currently expended in some mammography techniques, making it not only smaller and more comfortable to use, but safer. The Adam & Ease Mammography Device was created not only to provide a far less painful experience, but also to provide thorough and accurate first time mammographs, hopefully reducing the need for repeated examinations and speeding the process of initial diagnosis, if any abnormalities are discovered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The Adam & Ease Mammography Device is intended to be manufactured in two different styles: The Adam & Ease Female Mammography Device and The Adam & Ease Male Mammography Device. These styles are herein described as The Male Device, The Female Device, or simply, The Device, for brevity's sake, from now on. The Device's small comparative size is also potentially space and money saving, versus some of the current products in use as of this writing. Each of The Device's molds or cups is meant to be hypo-allergenic which prevents skin irritation, especially in sensitive individuals; and each mold or cup is durable enough to be sanitized before and after each use, with a sanitizing wipe. The Device may also be constructed of materials that can be recycled immediately instead of being reused. The sizes that The Device should be produced in, should range from considerably small to considerably large and comfortably accommodate thinner patients, female or male and larger patients, female or male. (Please note that the illustrations in this application are not to scale; parts such as the Primary Torso Connectors on The Device have been extremely foreshortened to fit the page.)

The Adam & Ease Mammography Device for females FIG. 1 (FIG. 1 is suggested for the front page of this application), comes in three separate parts, one mold or cup for the right breast FIG. 1, Ref. 1, a second for the left breast FIG. 1, Ref. 2, and a soft Secondary Torso Connector FIG. 1A, Ref. 3, which wraps around the patient helping to hold the instrument in place, when necessary. The separate parts allow different cup or mold sizes to be chosen in the case of, for example, a single patient with a left breast that differs in size from her right one. Since The Device for females should be produced in varying cup sizes, the patient or technician may choose each cup as if they were fitting a brassiere to the patient's individual breasts. The Device has a soft Sternum Connector (SC) and Sternum Connector Flap (SCF), FIG. 1, Ref. 4 and FIG. 1, Ref. 5, for female patients at the sternum. The Sternum Connector (SC) and Sternum Connector Flap (SCF) are both comprised of comfortable and soft material and as The Device is viewed from the front, the Sternum Connector Flap (SCF), which is connected to The Device on the right side, FIG. 1, Ref. 5, should be placed through its Sternum Connector (SC), at the left, FIG. 1, Ref. 4, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, where a close-up is seen. In FIG. 2, The Female Device is shown open, or loose, then in FIG. 2B, closed, or fastened. The SCF permits the patient to adjust the instrument across her sternum. A male with gynecomastia may also use this Device, if deemed necessary, although it is hoped the Adam & Ease Mammography Device for males will suit him well. The Device for males should be constructed of two parts and in considerably smaller to considerably larger sizes like its female counterpart, to accommodate either thinner or larger patients. The Male Device's molds or cups are also pliable to the patient's upper body for comfortable and thorough readings and has been conceived as one piece instead of two. See FIG. 6. The Male Device is pinched closer or more open at the patient's sternum with the fingers; it has no separate SC (Sternum Connector) or SCF (Sternum Connector Flap). Both The Adam & Ease Female Mammography Device and The Adam & Ease Male Mammography Device have what is herein described as a Vacuum Ability (VA) or more simply, the “Ability”. The Vacuum Ability is enabled by The Device's Vacuum Ports (VPs). The Vacuum Ability is first illustrated close-up in FIG. 21 (for The Female Device) and allows both styles of The Device to quickly conform to a patient's breasts using suction at the Vacuum Ports (VPs) in FIG. 1, Ref. 43R, and Ref. 43L for The Female Device and FIG. 6, Ref. 44R and Ref. 44L for The Male Device. In conjunction with The Device's Rim (described in paragraph 015) and Conforming Mesh (described in paragraph 017), the Vacuum Ability will aid in The Device's operation for mammographs and in the ease of wearing of The Device. The Ability has openings called Vacuum Ports on the left and right cups or molds, on both The Female Device (FIG. 1, Ref. 43R and Ref. 43L) and The Male Device (FIG. 6, Ref. 44R and Ref. 44L) for a small vacuum hose to be inserted. Once the hose is inserted a quiet vacuum is created by turning on the suction. The Conforming Mesh then pulls itself into place around the breasts of the wearer and The Device's Rim is manipulated with the user's or a technician's fingers, if necessary, for a customized, painless fit.

The Adam & Ease Female Mammography Device

The Adam & Ease Female Mammography Device, (called hereafter, The Female Device, or The Device), is a three piece Device. See FIG. 1. It comes with two breast “cups” or “molds”, that are separable. Each cup is attached left breast cup to right breast cup, across the patient's sternum, with a soft, light weight and hypo-allergenic closure, called the Sternum Connector Flap (or SCF). The Sternum Connector Flap is made with Velcro® material on its front side, see FIG. 2A. The SCF's right side is covered to its edges with Velcro® “loops” FIG. 2A, Ref. 36. The SCF's left side is covered to its edges with Velcro® “hooks” FIG. 2A, Ref. 37.

The protected Velcro® product, featuring its “hooks” and “loops”, are NOT illustrated on THE DEVICE in any place in this Application, rather, hatch marked shapes have been illustrated in their stead and reference numbers used, to show the Velcro® product's position on The Device.

The SCF is attached to the right breast cup (as The Device is viewed from the front). To connect the right breast cup to the left breast cup, the SCF is passed through the Sternum Connector (SC) on the left breast cup and folded back on itself, as shown in FIG. 2A. The Device should have a section of Velcro® loops on its right Primary Torso Connector (PTC) FIG. 1, Ref. 9, at the front and a section of Velcro® hooks on its left PTC at the front, FIG. 1, Ref. 10. The Female Device, as shown in rear view in FIG. 11, also should have Velcro® loop material on the right PTC (Primary Torso Connector) FIG. 11, Ref. 11, for patients that are able to close it around their torso without the aid of a Secondary Torso Connector (STC), FIG. 11A, Ref. 3. In FIG. 12, The Female Device is shown from the rear closed, using only its left and right PTCs, (FIG. 12 Ref. 6 and 7) without the aid of an STC. The Velcro® material at FIG. 11 Ref. 11 and again at FIG. 12 Ref. 10 and Ref. 11 are what The Device is seen to be closed by. The Female Device's STC's right side (front) should be covered to its edges with Velcro® hooks FIG. 1A, Ref. 32. The Female Device's STC's left side (front) should be covered to its edges with Velcro® loops FIG. 1A, Ref. 33. The Rim of The Female Device FIG. 10, is also soft and pliable, made with a material that will facilitate The Device's transmitting of data to a computer or other computation machine. The Rim is comprised of two sections, the Inner Edge FIG. 10, Ref. 12L and the Outer Edge FIG. 10, Ref. 13L, of which FIG. 10A is an extreme close-up. The Rim's pliability allows for the wearer to mold The Device to better conform to her body, in conjunction with the Vacuum Ability, illustrated in FIG. 21 and the Rim, in combination with The Device's Conforming Mesh, will allow the wearer to achieve a great fit, facilitating a more comfortable mammograph. The Rim's Outer Edge on The Female Device, is along its circumference, at the most extreme parts of the cups or molds. In FIG. 2A the soft outer edges at 13R and 13L and 12R and 12L, are seen in relationship to the SC, at Ref. 4 and the SCF Ref. 5. In FIG. 21, The Female Device's Vacuum Ability is illustrated with arrows to show the direction of the flow of suction, when the device is attached to a small vacuum hose at FIG. 21, Ref. 43R. Directions of suction airflow are labeled as FIG. 21, Ref. Arrows A.

Persons with variably sized breasts, (bilateral asymmetry) may pick from this product's various breast cup sizes, the one that best suits for a proper fit to her body. The patient should be confident that whatever cup size she picks, it will attach to its opposite “partner” with no issues because of the SC. For example, a female patient with a “d cup” measured size on her left breast and a “c cup” measured size on her right breast, may choose a left mold that is larger than a right mold. The two different breast cup sizes will attach over the patient's sternum with ease. If a single breast is to be examined, it may be feasible that one of The Female Device's cups or molds be used, for either a female or a male patient.

The Adam & Ease Mammography Device for females has two soft “Horns” FIG. 1, Ref. 14 and 15 which fit over the patient's shoulders for added support and comfort. Also available with The Device is the Secondary Torso Connector (STC) FIG. 1A, Ref. 3, which is a large, separate torso connector which allows The Device to be sized variably for larger patients and wraps around the individual's torso. For smaller patients, using the Primary Torso Connectors (PTCs) FIG. 1, Ref. 6 and Ref. 7, without the use of the Secondary Torso Connector (STC) might be preferred. In FIG. 3A, The Female Device is shown empty and at its right side, with its movable right Horn in a static position FIG. 3A, Ref. 14. FIG. 4A illustrates The Female Device empty and at its right side, with its right Horn in flexion, as an individual who might use The Device, may be able to manipulate it FIG. 4A, Ref. 14. FIG. 5 depicts The Female Device empty and at its right side with a soft, large STC (Secondary Torso Connector) FIG. 5, Ref. 3 attached to its soft, right PTC (Primary Torso Connector) FIG. 5, Ref. 6.

The Adam & Ease MALE Mammography Device

The Adam & Ease Male Mammography Device, (called hereafter The Male Device, or The Device), will afford the male patient the same comfort and ease of use as its counterpart for females. The Device for males, (FIG. 6) is intended to be constructed in a variety of sizes and also intended to be constructed of the same materials as The Device for females; however; the design of The Male Device differs according to the presumptive differences in the basic physiology of male and female patients. It has a soft and pliable Rim along its Inner Edge, FIG. 13, Ref. 16, that a patient or technician can shape with fingers, to gently mold The Device along the patient's pectoralis major and the serratus anterior. This should insure exact coverage and a complete reading of the patient's breast matter.

In FIG. 7A, The Male Device is shown empty and at its right side, with its movable right Horn in a static position FIG. 7A, Ref. 19. FIG. 8A illustrates The Male Device empty and at its right side, with its right Horn in flexion, as an individual who might use The Device, may be able to manipulate it FIG. 8A, Ref. 19. FIG. 9 illustrates The Male Device empty and at its right side with a soft, large STC (Secondary Torso Connector) FIG. 9, Ref. 18 attached to its soft, right PTC (Primary Torso Connector) FIG. 9, Ref. 21.

The Male Device is a two piece device, connected to a patient's torso over his shoulders with soft Horns FIG. 6, Ref. 19 and Ref. 20, like The Female Device. The Device should have a section of Velcro® loops on its right Primary Torso Connector (PTC) FIG. 6, Ref. 38, at the front, and a section of Velcro® hooks on its left PTC at the front, FIG. 6, Ref. 39. The Male Device uses an STC (Secondary Torso Connector) FIG. 6A, Ref. 18, to surround the anterior of the patient and connect The Device's left and right sides, if necessary. The Device, as shown in rear view in FIG. 15, also should have Velcro® loop material on its right PTC (Primary Torso Connector) FIG. 15, Ref. 22, at the reverse for patients that are able to close it around their torso without the aid of a Secondary Torso Connector (STC) FIG. 6A, Ref. 18. In FIG. 16, The Male Device is shown from the rear closed, using only its left and right PTCs, (FIG. 16 Ref. 23 and 21) without the aid of an STC. The Velcro® material at FIG. 15 Ref. 22 and again at FIG. 16 Ref. 22 and Ref. 39 are what The Device is seen to be closed by. The Male Device's STC's right side (front) should be covered to its edges with Velcro® hooks FIG. 6A, Ref. 34. The Male Device's STC's left side (front) should be covered to its edges with Velcro® loops FIG. 6A, Ref. 35. FIG. 17 depicts two of The Male Device's STC's, daisy chained. The properties, look and function of the STC for The Female Device and the STC for The Male Device, are equal. This means of connecting The Device to a patient's body is universal: The Device's Horns rest on a person's shoulders and a soft wide, STC fits around a patient, if needed and the STC connects to The Device on left and right with a wide strip of Velcro® material. The Male Device will be a two piece unit, not a three piece unit like the female counterpart. The Male Device's Rim will have a slight opening at the male patient's sternum seen at FIG. 13 Ref. 40 of which FIG. 13A Ref. 40 is a close-up, with its Outer Edge outlining it, enabling patients or technicians to mold the instrument for a more customized fit, to the patient's frame. The Outer Edge is illustrated in FIG. 13 Ref. 17 and FIG. 13A Ref. 17. The opening will also assist The Male Device in its Vacuum Ability, which is illustrated in FIG. 25. In FIG. 25, The Male Device's Vacuum Ability is illustrated with arrows to show the direction of the flow of suction, when the device is attached to a small vacuum hose at FIG. 25, Ref. 44R. Directions of suction airflow are labeled as FIG. 25, Ref. Arrows A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The Primary Torso Connectors and the Secondary Torso Connectors (and their Relationship to the RIM)

(Please note that the illustrations in this Application are not to scale.) The Device's Primary Torso Connectors (PTCs), for The Female Device as well as The Male Device, should be made from a soft hypo-allergenic, moisture resistant material, soft to the touch, but able to be wiped clean with a sanitizing wipe, if The Device has not been manufactured to be disposable. The PTCs are attached to the Rim of The Device (on both The Female Device as well as The Male Device), via the Rim's Outer Edge, so that there are no gaps or holes in between the PTCs and the Rim's Outer Edge and no gaps or holes in between the PTCs and The Device. See for The Female Device, FIG. 5, Ref. 6 and FIG. 5, Ref. 13R. For The Male Device, see FIG. 9, Ref. 21 and Ref. 17. (FIG. 14 is a close-up of The Male Device's left side and FIG. 14, Ref. 23 shows a section of The Male Device's left Primary Torso Connector, while Ref. 17, The Male Device's Rim's Outer Edge, with no holes or gaps in between the two.) Use FIG. 14A for reference. The user of The Device should be able to pinch or push the Rim material against his or her skin and still get the best fit possible which will assist The Device in its Vacuum Ability, (as illustrated in FIG. 25, Ref. Arrows A), without affecting the PTCs integrity or ability to hold The Device onto the user's body. FIG. 25, Ref. Arrows A demonstrate the direction that airflow takes during suction. The Device's STCs (Secondary Torso Connectors) are made with the same material as The Device's PTCs and are attached to nothing, unless needed to extend The Device around the torso of a patient who is larger. The Device's STCs may be daisy chained, so that the larger patient who needs multiple STCs can comfortably fit The Device around his or her back. FIG. 17 illustrates the front view of one STC for males FIG. 17, Ref. 18.1 connected via Velcro® hooks and loops, to another STC in rear view FIG. 17, Ref. 18.2, for a daisy chain effect. FIG. 17, Ref. 34.1 illustrates The Male Device's Secondary Torso Connector's (STC's) RIGHT FRONT side, covered to its edges with Velcro® hook material, while FIG. 17, Ref. 35.1 depicts The Device's STC's LEFT FRONT side, covered to its edges with Velcro® loop material. FIG. 17, Ref. 34.2 is The Male Device's STC at the RIGHT SIDE AT REAR, covered to its edges with Velcro® hook material and lastly, FIG. 17, Ref. 35.2 is The Male Device's STC at the LEFT SIDE AT REAR, covered to its edges with Velcro® loop material. Using this example, the STCs could then be attached to The Male Device's PTCs FIG. 6, Ref. 21 and Ref. 23 and fit comfortably around a larger patient, using care not to allow any Velcro® hook material to come in contact with a patient's skin (simply cover any Velcro® hook material with corresponding Velcro® loop material and use as many STCs as necessary to accomplish your task). The properties, look and function of the STCs for The Male Device, as well as the STCs for The Female Device, ARE EQUAL.

The Rim

The Rim has two sections that follow the entire mold or cup edges of The Device for both males and females. The two sections of The Rim are called the Inner Edge and the Outer Edge. See FIG. 2A, References 12R and 12L, Inner Edges for The Female Device and FIG. 2A, References 13R and 13L, Outer Edges for The Female Device. A close-up of The Female Device's Inner and Outer Edges are seen in FIG. 10A at References 12L and 13L. See FIG. 13, Ref. 16, the Inner Edge for The Male Device and FIG. 13, Ref. 17, The Outer Edge for The Male Device. The Inner Edge as well as the Outer Edge on both The Male Device and The Female Device, are to be constructed with a hypo-allergenic material that is kept sterile with a sanitizing cloth wipe, unless The Device has been manufactured to be disposable. As previously stated, The Rim is flexible, which will assist in The Device's Vacuum Ability, as illustrated in FIG. 25. The Rim is meant to snugly conform to the torso along the breast; at the pectoralis major and the serratus anterior on the outsides of the chest and along the sternum (center of the chest), in The Male Device's design. This will allow the instrument's Sensors, described in [018], to signal, or read, through all of a patient's breast tissue. The Rim may or may not have visible striations. The striations illustrated in this document on The Rims of the Adam & Ease Female or Male Mammography Devices are to help the reader visualize the possibility of flexion in the instrument.

The Horns

The Device is attached to the torso not only by the PTCs and the STCs which may wrap the circumference of the patient from the sides to the back, but by two distinct rises out of The Device at the right top and left top, called Horns, because of their likeness to the horn of an animal when viewed from the side. The Horns are found on both The Female Device as well as The Male Device. The Horns themselves are also soft, as any part of The Device that comes in contact with human flesh is meant to be as positive and calming as possible for a patient. The Horns are meant to have enough flexion to move up or down and then farther from, or closer to, a patient's torso. When put in place, however, the Horns should stay firmly, but comfortably. The Horns will help to provide a comfortable means of additional stability for holding The Device in place. See FIG. 1, Ref. 14 and Ref. 15 and FIG. 6, Ref. 19 and Ref. 20.

The Conforming Mesh

The Device's cups or molds, for both females and males, are made of a Conforming Mesh (CM), hereafter called the Mesh, for brevity's sake. The Mesh may have an opacity when it is viewed from the front. FIG. 18 is a conception of a close-up of the FRONT side of the FRONT panel of the Conforming Mesh, illustrated in the style of The Female Device. FIG. 19 is a conception of a close-up of the REAR side of the FRONT panel of the Conforming Mesh (CM), illustrated in the style of The Female Device. In FIG. 20, the FRONT PANEL of the CM is seen as it would be on The Device, in FIG. 26 the BACK panel of CM is shown as it would be on The Device. The Vacuum Port (VP), which enables The Device's Vacuum Ability, has been added in between the BACK panel of the CM and the FRONT panel of the CM, on which rides the Sensors and the Mesh Lines, in FIG. 21 Ref. 43R. The Female Device has two Vacuum Ports that enable the Vacuum Ability through the Conforming Mesh. The Vacuum Ports for The Female Device are first seen in FIG. 1 at References 43R and 43L. FIG. 21 shows the direction of the flow of suction, at Reference Arrows A, when the device is attached to a small vacuum hose at its Vacuum Ports. FIG. 27 is a close-up of the Mesh on The Female Device's left cup, rear view. FIG. 22 is a conception of a close-up of the FRONT side of the FRONT panel of the Conforming Mesh, illustrated in the style of The Male Device. FIG. 23 is a conception of a close-up of the REAR side of the FRONT panel of the Conforming Mesh (CM), illustrated in the style of The Male Device. In FIG. 24, the FRONT PANEL of the CM is seen as it would be on The Device, in FIG. 26 the BACK panel of CM is shown as it would be on The Device. The Vacuum Port (VP), which enables The Device's Vacuum Ability, has been added in between the BACK panel of the CM and the FRONT panel of the CM, on which rides the Sensors and the Mesh Lines, in FIG. 25 Ref. 44R. The Male Device has two Vacuum Ports that enable the Vacuum Ability through the Conforming Mesh. The Vacuum Ports for The Male Device are first seen in FIG. 6 at References 44R and 44L. FIG. 25 shows the direction of the flow of suction, at Reference Arrows A, when the device is attached to a small vacuum hose at its Vacuum Ports. FIG. 28 is a close-up of the Mesh on The Male Device's left rear view. The Mesh should have a smooth, stretching quality, the smoothness because it will touch human flesh and the stretch quality to help it to conform to the human figure. The Mesh should be constructed in such a way that permits it to, with the suction built into it via the Vacuum Ability, be conformed through The Device's Rim around the breast and chest of a patient using either The Female Device or The Male Device. FIG. 26 is an illustration of the Mesh's BACK panel, which looks the same in both The Female Device and The Male Device and merged with the front panel on either style of The Device, makes up the CM and the VA in their entirety ALL VIEWS OF THE CONFORMING MESH (CM) HAVE BEEN CALLED REFERENCE 24 (for simplicity) AND IN ALL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE CM IN THIS APPLICATION, A GRID-LIKE OR SCREEN-LIKE QUALITY HAS BEEN USED FOR ARTISTIC PURPOSES; THE DEVICE'S CONFORMING MESH SHOULD HAVE NO HOLES. The Mesh is what the Vacuum Ability operates through and what the Sensors are attached to and facilitates The Device's ability to comfortably encompass, with the suction of the Vacuum Ability, a person's breasts and read through the breast matter, along with The Rim. The Conforming Mesh may be made of a lightweight and soft material that is conducive to a successful and clear first reading of the patient's physiology. The Conforming Mesh should be made of a material or materials that might consist of cloth, paper, a polymer or metallic or optical fibers, or any necessary combination of materials, that will give The Device its ability to not only fit an individual, but also to take an accurate breast tissue reading. The Vacuum Ability will draw the CM up snugly around a patient's breasts without tightness.

The Sensors

The Device's Sensors, as mentioned previously, accomplish the reading of the patient's breast matter. The Sensors are attached to the Conforming Mesh (CM), see FIG. 18, Reference 25 and FIG. 19, Reference 25 and Reference 26 for The Female Device and FIG. 22, Reference 25 and FIG. 23, Reference 25 and Reference 26 for The Male Device. FIG. 26 is a depiction of a close-up of the Mesh at its BACK panel, for both styles of The Device, with no Sensors or Mesh Lines. There are many Sensors on the Conforming Mesh, in two sizes, a large Sensor, FIG. 19, Reference(s) 25 and a small Sensor, FIG. 19, Reference(s) 26 (as illustrated for The Female Device) and FIG. 23, Reference(s) 25, along with FIG. 23, Reference(s) 26 (as illustrated for The Male Device). For the purposes of simplicity and ease of reference in this Application, large and small Sensors on either The Female Device or The Male Device, The Device's Mesh Lines and the Conforming Mesh itself, have been given the same reference numbers. There are too many Sensors and Mesh Lines to number practically for this Application. Small Sensors are not illustrated as seen from the front view of the Conforming Mesh. As should be expected, this Application uses artist's conceptions of the Sensors, as well as other technical aspects of The Device. The exact number and configuration of the large and small Sensors on The Female Device or The Male Device will not be known until The Device reaches production stages. Note: Sensors are not intended to be “cut”, “split” or truncated, but may appear so in the drawings in this Application. The drawings in this Application are intended for descriptive purposes. The large and small Sensors are connected to one another with Mesh Lines (ML), as illustrated for The Female Device in FIG. 18, Reference(s) 27, FIG. 19, Reference(s) 27 and FIG. 20, Reference(s) 27 and as illustrated for The Male Device in FIG. 22, Reference(s) 27, FIG. 23, Reference(s) 27 and FIG. 24, Reference(s) 27. The Mesh Lines are connected to The Device's Rim, for both The Male Device and The Female Device. The Mesh Line Lead (MLL), easily seen in FIG. 30 at Ref. 45R on The Female Device and FIG. 31, Ref. 47R on The Male Device, simply stated, runs the circumference of both the cups or molds on both styles of The Device, connecting the Grounding Point Wire (GPW) to the Mesh Lines, should data need to be transferred in that manner. A close-up for the GPW on The Female Device is seen at FIG. 30 Ref. 41R and a close-up for the GPW on The Male Device is seen at FIG. 31A Ref. 42R. The Sensors cover the Conforming Mesh's surface area and along with the Mesh Lines, facilitate complete readings of a patient's breast matter. The Sensors send and or receive signals through the breast tissue, to a computer or computation machine, operated by a medical technician or doctor. The Sensors will be able to read through breast tissue using the best method available, whether electromagnetic fields, light or auditory waves, nanotechnology, etc., and will create and send a 2 or 3 D image of the patient's breasts, to a computer or computation machine, allowing a doctor to view and interpret clinical findings. The Adam & Ease Mammography Device may use or combine various technology and techniques, most notably those used in neuropsychology, X-ray computed tomography, and sonography. A reading, or 2 or 3 D image of the left and right breasts is taken when The Device's operator activates The Device from his or her computer or computation station. The Sensors will each have a specific identifiable placement in The Device's design, whether for females or males. For example, “L1, FSensor” may represent the number one sensor on the left side of a female patient's torso, or “R5, MSensor” may represent the number five sensor on the right side of a male patient's torso, to signify Sensor placement in The Device. This may enable ease in maintenance, or reading of findings by a doctor or technician. The prior example has NOT been illustrated in this Application. Individual Sensors may be able to be replaced in this case, if some malfunction is discovered. Both breasts are “read” simultaneously, allowing for a fast, complete and comfortable medical appointment. Results can be seen immediately or sent to a physician for interpretation. The Female Device or The Male Device may be ground for electricity via Grounding Points (GPs) at its right or left Horns, noted first in this Application for The Female Device in FIG. 1, at Ref. 28 and Ref. 29, and FIG. 6, at Ref. 30 and Ref. 31 for The Male Device. The Grounding Point Wire (GPW), at FIG. 3, Ref. 41R on The Female Device (seen in close-up at left rear in FIG. 27, Ref. 41L on The Female Device) and FIG. 9, Ref. 42R on The Male Device (seen in close-up at left front in FIG. 29, Ref. 42L on The Male Device), is an unobtrusive wire running from The Device's Rims to the Grounding Points (GPs) on its Horns, on both the extreme left and extreme right sides of The Female Device, as well as The Male Device. The Grounding Point (GP) may be split into two small sections, one solely to ground The Device and if necessary, the other to aid it and The Grounding Point Wire (GPW) to be configured to transmit data from The Device to a computer, if the operator is not using wireless data transfer methods. The Device can also receive or transmit data from its USB ports (or pin connectors, etc.), first seen in FIG. 3A, Ref. 46R for The Female Device (FIG. 30, Ref. 46R is a close-up on The Female Device) and more easily seen on The Male Device in FIG. 31 at Ref. 48R. The left USB port on The Male Device in FIG. 29 Ref. 48L has been illustrated, the left USB port on The Female Device has NOT been illustrated in this Application.

The Vacuum Ability

The Device's Vacuum Ability (VA), as illustrated in FIG. 21, Ref. Arrows A for The Female Device and FIG. 25, Ref. Arrows A for The Male Device, is facilitated by the Conforming Mesh (CM), as previously stated. It is intended that the CM be made from a material that is lightweight, upon OR inside of which the Mesh Lines and Sensors can ride, however; it should be without holes or perforations, except where it contacts The Device's Rim (facilitating suction) and where the Vacuum Ability's Vacuum Ports (VPs) rest. The Vacuum Ports for the Vacuum Ability should be at the lower aspects of the Rim on the left and right sides of both styles of The Device. With a light suction applied through the Ability's Vacuum Ports (first noted for The Female Device in FIG. 1, References 43R and 43L and first noted for The Male Device in FIG. 6, References 44R and 44L), The Device's Conforming Mesh will pull around and encompass the breasts of the wearer, enabling the Sensors and Mesh Lines to send and or receive information obtained about the wearer's breast tissue wirelessly or via a single USB port (FIG. 30, Ref. 46R on The Female Device, FIG. 31 at Ref. 48R and FIG. 31A Ref. 48R on The Male Device), to a computer or computation machine for a physician's interpretation. FIG. 21 is a close-up depiction of the Vacuum Ability in action, in The Female styled Device. Ref. Arrows A show the direction of a flow of suction out of the Vacuum Port at FIG. 21, Ref. 43R, attached to the Conforming Mesh in The Female Device's style, at the right cup or mold. The flexible Rim allows the vacuum flow through its Inner Edge at FIG. 21 Ref. 12R and to its Outer Edge at FIG. 21 Ref. 13R. Likewise, FIG. 25 is a close-up depiction of the Vacuum Ability in action, in The Male styled Device. Ref. Arrows A show the direction of a flow of suction out of the Vacuum Port at FIG. 25, Ref. 44R, attached to the Conforming Mesh in The Male Device at the right cup or mold. The flexible Rim allows the vacuum flow through its Inner Edge at FIG. 25, Ref. 16 to its Outer Edge at FIG. 25 Ref. 17.

The Device will deliver results in quadrants, allowing for an exact location of suspect tissue, if suspect tissue exists, which might make surgery, if necessary, much more accurate and less “exploratory”. Persons with spherical or conical, inverted, longer, or larger sized mammary papillae (nipples) may also comfortably use The Device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: The Adam & Ease FEMALE Mammography Device (hereafter called The Female Device or The Device), front view.

FIG. 1A: One accompanying Secondary Torso Connector (STC) for The Female Device, front view. The STC's right front side is covered to its edges with Velcro® hook material and the STC's left front side is covered to its edges with Velcro® loop material.

FIG. 2: The front view of The Female Device, shown open, or loose.

FIG. 2A: The close-up detail view at the CENTER FRONT of The Female Device's Sternum Connector Flap (hereafter called the SCF) and Sternum Connector (hereafter called the SC), while it is open.

FIG. 2B: The front view of The Female Device shown closed, or fastened, by The Device's SCF at its SC.

FIG. 3: Partial view of The Female Device, empty and at its front right section, for reference.

FIG. 3A: The Female Device empty and at its right side, with its movable right Horn in a static position. In this Application, The Device's Horns have not been drawn to scale.

FIG. 4: Partial view of The Female Device, empty and at its front right section, repeated for reference.

FIG. 4A: The Female Device, empty and at its right side, with its right Horn in flexion.

FIG. 5: The Female Device, empty and at its right cup side, with a soft, large STC attached to its right Primary Torso Connector (hereafter called the PTC).

FIG. 6: The Adam & Ease MALE Mammography Device (hereafter called The Male Device or The Device), front view.

FIG. 6A: One accompanying Secondary Torso Connector (STC) for The Male Device, front view. The STC's right front side is covered to its edges with Velcro® hook material and the STC's left front side is covered to its edges with Velcro® loop material.

FIG. 7: Partial view of The Male Device, empty and at its front right section, for reference.

FIG. 7A: The Male Device empty and at its right side, with its movable right Horn in a static position. In this Application, The Device's Horns have not been drawn to scale.

FIG. 8: Partial view of The Male Device, empty and at its front right section, repeated for reference.

FIG. 8A: The Male Device, empty and at its right side, with its right Horn in flexion.

FIG. 9: The Male Device, empty and at its right cup side, with a soft, large STC attached to its right Primary Torso Connector (hereafter called the PTC).

FIG. 10: The front view close-up of The Female Device's Rim and SC, at the left cup side; especially noted here are The Device's Rim's Inner and Outer Edges.

FIG. 10A: Extreme close-up of The Female Device's right Rim and the SC opening.

FIG. 11: The Female Device's rear view; notice Velcro® “loop” material on the RIGHT REAR Primary Torso Connector (PTC).

FIG. 11A: The Female Device's STC in rear view.

FIG. 12: The rear view of The Female Device's soft right and left PTCs, when fastened. In this depiction, the soft Secondary Torso Connector has not been used.

FIG. 13: The front view of The Male Device at its malleable sternum, indicating the referenced cropped area in FIG. 13A.

FIG. 13A: A close-up of the slight opening at The Male Device's, Rim's Inner Edge. NOTE: The opening at The Device's sternum has been exaggerated to be clearly seen in the drawings.

FIG. 14: A close-up depiction of The Male Device's left side to illustrate that there are no holes or gaps between The Device's left PTC and the Outer Edge of its Rim.

FIG. 14A: The front view of the middle of The Male Device, for reference.

FIG. 15: The Male Device's rear view; notice Velcro® “loop” material on the RIGHT REAR PTC.

FIG. 15A: The Male Device's STC in rear view.

FIG. 16: The rear view of The Male Device's soft right and left PTCs, when fastened together. In this depiction, the soft Secondary Torso Connector has not been used.

FIG. 17: Depiction of two of The Male Device's STCs, daisy chained. The properties, look and function of the STCs for The Male Device, as well as the STCs for The Female Device, are equal.

FIG. 18: A depiction of a close-up of the FRONT SIDE (right) of The Female Device's Conforming Mesh's FRONT panel.

FIG. 19: A depiction of a close-up of the front panel's REAR side on The Female Device's Conforming Mesh (CM), at right.

FIG. 20: A depiction of a close-up of the front and rear sides of the front panel of the CM on The Female Device at the right cup.

FIG. 21: A close-up depiction of the parts of The Female Device's CM in action, allowing suction from the Vacuum Ability (VA) to flow through the right Rim's Inner Edge and out of the right Rim's Outer Edge, so that the CM may comfortably conform to a wearer's breast. The VA's suction is occurring through the CM at The Device's right Vacuum Port (VP). Reference Arrows “A” indicate the proposed direction of suction in between the front and back panels of the CM.

FIG. 22: A depiction of a close-up of a FRONT SIDE (right) of The Male Device's Conforming Mesh's FRONT panel.

FIG. 23: A depiction of a close-up of the front panel's REAR side on The Male Device's Conforming Mesh, at right.

FIG. 24: A depiction of a close-up of the front and back sides of the front panel of the CM on The Male Device at the right cup.

FIG. 25: A close-up depiction of the parts of The Male Device's CM in action, allowing suction from the Vacuum Ability (VA) to flow through the right Rim's Inner Edge and out of the right Rim's Outer Edge, so that the CM may comfortably conform to a wearer's breast. The VA's suction is occurring through the CM at The Device's right Vacuum Port (VP). Reference Arrows “A” indicate the proposed direction of suction in between the front and back panels of the CM.

FIG. 26: A depiction of a close-up of the Conforming Mesh's BACK PANEL, which looks the same in both The Female Device and The Male Device. All views of the CM have been called “Ref. 24” (for simplicity) and in all illustrations of the CM in this application, a grid-like or screen-like quality has been used for artistic purposes; The Device's Conforming Mesh should have no holes.

FIG. 27: A depiction of a close-up of the CM at The Female Device's left rear view. Note: Sensors are not intended to be “cut”, “split” or truncated, but may appear so in the drawings in this Application. The drawings in this application are intended for descriptive purposes.

FIG. 27A: A partial drawing of the CM at The Female Device's left rear view, repeated for reference.

FIG. 28: A close-up of the Conforming Mesh (CM) at The Male Device's left rear view. Note: Sensors are not intended to be “cut”, “split” or truncated. Drawings in this application are for descriptive purposes.

FIG. 28A: A partial drawing of the CM at The Male Device's left rear view, repeated for reference.

FIG. 29: Left side FRONT close-up of The Male Device's, Grounding Point Wire (GPW); Ref. 42L.

FIG. 29A: A partial drawing of The Male Device's left front view, for reference.

FIG. 30: A close-up of The Female Device's right USB data port (Ref. 46R), right Mesh Line Lead (MLL, Ref. 45R) and right GPW, Ref. 41R. A MLL runs the entire circumference of both cups or molds of The Female Device on its right and left sides in between the CM and the Rim's Outer Edge, along the Rim's Inner Edge. The Female Device's left USB data port and left MLL are not shown in this Application.

FIG. 31: A depiction of The Male Device's right USB data port, Ref. 48R, right Mesh Line Lead (MLL, Ref. 47R) and right GPW, Ref. 42R. The MLL runs along the entire mold of The Male Device on both its right and left sides, in between The Device's CM and the Rim's Outer Edge, along the Rim's Inner Edge. The Male Device's left USB data port is featured in FIG. 29 Ref. 48L and its left MLL is featured in FIG. 29 Ref. 42L in this Application.

FIG. 31A: An extreme close-up of The Male Device's right USB data port and right MLL (FIGS. 48R and 42R, respectively).

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

Two styles of The Adam & Ease Mammography Device are intended, brassiere style (typically for females) and breastplate style (typically for males). The Device should be manufactured to include highly variable cup or mold sizes that will conform to the torso snugly without tightness and use Sensors and Mesh Lines to “read” through breast tissue. Secondary Torso Connectors enhance sizing variability when needed. The Device will have a Vacuum Ability, which allows the Conforming Mesh to be customized to individuals. The Device will create a more comfortable screening for breast tissue anomalies than current methods. The Device may be manufactured to be recyclable; each part should be soft. The Device may be ground for electricity via Grounding Points at its right or left Horn. The USB port on The Device may be used to connect it, if not using wireless communications, from its Rim to a computer. 

1. The Adam & Ease Mammography Device (The Device, The Female Device, or The Male Device) will facilitate mammography, making the process less humiliating, more comfortable, and more fitting to patients of all body types and sizes, whether females or males. The Device should be constructed in a variety of cup or mold sizes and come with a soft Secondary Torso Connector (STC) which will aid in its closure around the anterior of a larger patient. This invention resembles a brassiere for females or breast plate for males. Males may use the female styled Device, which resembles a brassiere and females may use the male styled Device which resembles a Roman era warrior's breast plate. The Adam and Ease Mammography Device's cups or molds, consist of the Conforming Mesh, which conforms to the upper body, specifically the breasts, of a female or male using it during the mammography procedure. There are Sensors connected to the Conforming Mesh that the cup, or mold is made from. The Sensors correspond to various locations on The Device and are intended to send “readings” along thin connected fibers called Mesh Lines, that are contained within or rest upon, the Conforming Mesh of the mold or cup. The Mesh Lines connect the Sensors to one another and The Device's Rim. This applies to either The Female Device or The Male Device. The Sensors “read”, or “see” through the patient's breast matter, using the best available technology and techniques, most notably and more probably, those used in neuropsychology, X-ray computed tomography, and sonography. There may be other more fitting ways The Device may use technology to check for abnormalities in a patient's breast tissue. The Conforming Mesh will have an elastic, or conforming nature, which will allow it to fit snugly to a person without being tight and could possibly be made from a hybrid material which will combine the elasticity of a polymer or a cloth with metal or optical fibers to facilitate The Device's operation. The Device incorporates a vacuum technique called the Vacuum Ability, to assist the Conforming Mesh in fitting snugly without tightness. The Vacuum Ability for both The Female Device as well as The Male Device, will draw the Conforming Mesh up snugly around a patient's breasts at two Vacuum Ports which are located on the lower right cup or mold and lower left cup or mold of both styles of The Device. Suction is applied through the Vacuum Ports with small vacuum hoses and air is withdrawn from the Conforming Mesh through The Device's Rim's flexible Inner Edge, then through its attached Outer Edge and out of the Vacuum Ports, creating a personalized fit. There will undoubtedly be different methods available as technology progresses, that will enable The Device to send and receive readings of breast tissue during a mammography examination, however; the current configuration of The Device will allow data transfer methods such as wireless and both Device styles have a USB port in both its left and right Horns. The signals from readings of the breast matter are sent and received through or along the Conforming Mesh by the Mesh Lines, Rim and Sensors and sent to a computer or computation station that an operator uses to perform the examination. The Device's signals “see through” then “image” or map an individual's breast matter to obtain readings in a much more comfortable manner for the patient than current pressure type methods. The Adam & Ease Mammography Device may all but eliminate the radiation currently expended in some mammography techniques, making it not only smaller and more comfortable to use, but safer. The Device is also far less space consuming than machines that “image” a person's entire body. The “readings” should be collected at a computer or computation station for viewing and interpretation, in a 2D (flat) or 3D format. The facilitation of data collection for interpretation may also be achieved with small Grounding Points on The Device's Horns and their Grounding Wires, if data is not wirelessly relayed to the operator or physician's computer or computation station. 